tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38587557072837534612018-03-07T12:19:19.371-08:00New York, Plants & Other StuffJennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.comBlogger323125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-77616120849460558312010-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:002010-09-09T09:00:20.192-07:00Planted Cloud is Live!Allow me to introduce my new blogging home: <a href="http://plantedcloud.com/">Planted Cloud</a>.&nbsp;<br /><br />Though I had promised earlier to name my new blog, DC, Plants and Other Stuff, I've decided to blog on a more global scale.&nbsp; I've been too lucky to travel so much to simply blog about one city's horticultural offerings.&nbsp; I'm also looking for contributors to post on a monthly level -- if you are interested, please email me.<br /><br />Thank you, dear reader, for visiting this site.&nbsp; I've enjoyed blogging NYPAOS more than I ever expected.&nbsp; I've been neglectful this summer, but hope to make it up to you at my new home.<br /><br />Fondly, <br />JenniferJennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-30431836153252913352010-08-06T07:27:00.000-07:002010-08-06T07:27:31.114-07:00Excuses, ExcusesHello!<br /><br />Forgive me (SO MUCH) for not blogging for an entire month.&nbsp; It's terrible!&nbsp; Some of you know I am in transition.&nbsp; I started my own office, <a href="http://jenniferghorn.com/">Jennifer Horn Landscape Architecture</a>, this year and things are getting quite hectic.&nbsp; I also have moved to DC which makes this blog title a little inaccurate.&nbsp;<br /><br />I think I have finally figured out a new title (ultimately, I decided against DC, Plants and Other Stuff) and hope to launch in the next week.&nbsp; Please be sure to visit me for the link when it finally is ready for viewing.<br /><br />Thanks!!!!<br /><br />JenniferJennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-19452543752760807192010-06-29T06:37:00.000-07:002010-06-29T07:29:47.753-07:00Mauna Kea and Hawaiian BlueberryOne of the places I absolutely *had* to visit when I was on the Big Island was Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest mountain, reaching a height of 13,900' above sea level. Technically, it's the world's biggest mountain, measuring 30,000' from the base, which is at the bottom of the sea, to the tip.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn4JjuTuCI/AAAAAAAACao/kPZyKh9H7HM/s1600/IMG_1868.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn4JjuTuCI/AAAAAAAACao/kPZyKh9H7HM/s320/IMG_1868.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488190464019642402" border="0" /></a><br />It's also the site of the world's largest astronomical observatory, with 13 telescopes representing 11 different countries. The air in this microclimate is the some of the driest on earth, second only to Antarctica. This, in addition to the absence of cloud cover and light pollution, makes for excellent astronomical viewing conditions.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn4KDbfeiI/AAAAAAAACaw/MCygIHToQ44/s1600/IMG_0697.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn4KDbfeiI/AAAAAAAACaw/MCygIHToQ44/s320/IMG_0697.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488190472530655778" border="0" /></a><br />Warned that going to the summit individually is quite difficult (you definitely need four-wheel drive) and reluctant to bring a bunch of winter gear with me from the mainland (it's a chilly 32° at the summit) I signed up for a tour with <a href="http://www.maunakea.com/">Mauna Kea Summit Adventures</a>. The tour picked me up at 4pm, and along with about 12 other people, we had a picnic dinner at the visitors center (elevation 9000') before going to the summit for sunset.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn6E5zlLjI/AAAAAAAACbQ/EIsvQLzvIMo/s1600/IMG_1870.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn6E5zlLjI/AAAAAAAACbQ/EIsvQLzvIMo/s320/IMG_1870.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488192583071247922" border="0" /></a><br />After the sunset, we descended back to 9000' for some stargazing. I saw Saturn and its rings, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_Centauri">Omega Centauri</a>, constellations Sagittarius, Virgo and Leo, as well as the beautiful binary star, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albireo">Albireo</a>. We also learned a fair amount about night viewing and general astronomy. It was an excellent tour and quite educational. By the time I got back to the hotel, nearing midnight, I was more than a little awestruck by how truly insignificant we are and by the incomprehensible age of the galaxies. (Light years, as a concept, always trips me up. The Omega Centauri is around 15,000 light years away. I see it, but because of its distance, it may not really be there anymore. Only in 15,000 years could someone know if it existed in 2010. Discussing this brain-bending concept with the tour guide, he quipped, 'I think that's why insanity is more common among quantum physicists and astronomers.' ...I can't verify <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span>, but <span style="font-style: italic;">can </span>imagine that the sense of profound insignificance, combined with the fact that - in such a profession - you ask questions that can never be truly answered, may be a bit maddening at times.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn4LFAskhI/AAAAAAAACbI/D_vBSheb4lc/s1600/IMG_1827.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn4LFAskhI/AAAAAAAACbI/D_vBSheb4lc/s320/IMG_1827.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488190490135007762" border="0" /></a><br />I suppose that's why I prefer plants. There aren't a lot in this biome, but there were enough. I saw the plant below when we stopped for a photo-op at around 11,000'. Does it look familiar to any east coasters?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn4KiZpldI/AAAAAAAACbA/PGA4bTyGobo/s1600/IMG_1831.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn4KiZpldI/AAAAAAAACbA/PGA4bTyGobo/s320/IMG_1831.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488190480844428754" border="0" /></a><br />Those bell-shaped flowers are a clue, perhaps. Also maybe the reddish hue to the foliage...But who am I kidding, you read the post title so you know it's a blueberry, or <span style="font-style: italic;">Vaccinium reticulatum</span>. In Hawaii the plant is commonly called the 'ohelo. There are two species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Vaccinium </span>in Hawaii, and both have some subspecies, too, varying slightly among the different Hawaiian islands. <span style="font-style: italic;">V. reticulatum </span>is found in open woodlands and high elevations, while <span style="font-style: italic;">V. calycinum </span>is found in wet, wooded areas.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn4KesHQaI/AAAAAAAACa4/43W0V6VPgdU/s1600/IMG_1830.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCn4KesHQaI/AAAAAAAACa4/43W0V6VPgdU/s320/IMG_1830.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488190479848128930" border="0" /></a><br />The plant's berries, like our more local <span style="font-style: italic;">V. corymbosum, V. caesariense</span>, or <span style="font-style: italic;">V. angustifolium</span>, make wonderful jams or jellies or can be eaten fresh. They can be picked by visitors and locals but the maximum takeaway is 1 quart when picking in parkland. That's because the plant provides habitat and food to two endemic moths as well as the endangered nene, or Hawaiian goose.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-55918018012555343432010-06-23T06:52:00.000-07:002010-06-23T07:12:29.165-07:00Cibotium glaucumOn <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2010/06/metrosideros-polymorpha-and-volcanoes.html">Monday</a> I mentioned the tree ferns that populate the forests near the active volcano at <a href="http://www.nps.gov/havo">Volcanoes National Park</a>. Today, we'll take a closer look at the Hawaiian tree fern, or <span style="font-style: italic;">Cibotium glaucum</span>, or hapu'u.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITkKGiabI/AAAAAAAACac/MbthHEp65Ys/s1600/IMG_1751.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITkKGiabI/AAAAAAAACac/MbthHEp65Ys/s320/IMG_1751.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485968807998679474" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see from the photo above, <span style="font-style: italic;">Cibotium</span> can reach heights up to 8 meters. I encountered this forest - the upper canopy consisting of ohi'a and the understory of hapu'u - while walking to the <a href="http://www.hawaiiweb.com/hawaii/html/sites/thurston_lava_tube.html">Thurston Lava Tube</a> in the park. The scale of these beautiful plants is awesome, in the truest sense of the word. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITKmqSgMI/AAAAAAAACaU/Bt9-nZ18CJo/s1600/IMG_1739.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITKmqSgMI/AAAAAAAACaU/Bt9-nZ18CJo/s320/IMG_1739.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485968368988225730" border="0" /></a><br />The fronds have a pure, clear green color, with small leaflets. The plant can be propagated by spores - the ones on the youngest fronds are usually most fertile.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITJ9JU0DI/AAAAAAAACZ8/nfRprxz2bDA/s1600/IMG_1736.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITKYtb9WI/AAAAAAAACaM/IsGc3lgrqds/s1600/IMG_1738.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITKYtb9WI/AAAAAAAACaM/IsGc3lgrqds/s320/IMG_1738.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485968365243331938" border="0" /></a><br />The fiddleheads are actually the size of <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> fiddle or violin heads. Much like other ferns, frying or boiling the heads is part of the local cuisine. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITKJjdaMI/AAAAAAAACaE/CqLsWuakuEE/s1600/IMG_1737.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITKJjdaMI/AAAAAAAACaE/CqLsWuakuEE/s320/IMG_1737.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485968361174952130" border="0" /></a><br />The plants' trunk can be edible as well, but is not very tasty. I read on one site that the trunk is considered "famine food."<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITJ9JU0DI/AAAAAAAACZ8/nfRprxz2bDA/s1600/IMG_1736.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCITJ9JU0DI/AAAAAAAACZ8/nfRprxz2bDA/s320/IMG_1736.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485968357844111410" border="0" /></a><br />In addition to the edible parts of the plant, the shaggy base of the trunk - or the pulu - has been used as a soft filling for pillows and mattresses. This use reached a peak in the mid 19th century and large swaths of tree fern forests were almost irreparably degraded. Much like I mentioned Monday in regards to <span style="font-style: italic;">Metrosideros</span>, these forests are now more carefully managed.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-30674555880978269582010-06-21T14:22:00.000-07:002010-06-22T07:26:49.945-07:00Metrosideros polymorpha (and Volcanoes!)Well, I got back from Hawaii on Saturday and am now squarely within my last days as a full time New Yorker. I'll most likely work Monday - Wednesday for the next three weeks then finish up at my job (save a few hourly tasks to wrap up my Hawaii project).<br /><br />Hawaii was wonderful, and thank goodness I scheduled three days on the Big Island. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have spent far too much time "on call" for work, even if I officially had the day off. I highly HIGHLY <span style="font-weight: bold;">(HIGHLY!) </span>recommend the Big Island to any Hawaii-bound individual that is even a casual naturalist. The variety of ecosystems and the rugged beauty of this - the youngest of the Hawaiian islands - place is stunning.<br /><br />I flew into Kona last Monday morning and immediately set off for Volcanoes National Park. "Why, it's only 90 miles!" I thought to myself, "I'll be there well within 2 hours."<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCDFx3viXHI/AAAAAAAACZs/akLURnc3ffg/s1600/IMG_1792.23jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 252px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCDFx3viXHI/AAAAAAAACZs/akLURnc3ffg/s320/IMG_1792.23jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485601806704860274" border="0" /></a><br />Not so much. The winding roads through the big island - and their ever-changing elevations - definitely slows down the works and driving 90 miles really requires at least 2.5 hours of driving. Of course, as soon as I got to Volcanoes National Park and saw the Kīlauea Crater spewing sulfurous fumes, all that driving was worth it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TB_dX9Zy2mI/AAAAAAAACZE/tB9L0ddSDP8/s1600/IMG_1718.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TB_dX9Zy2mI/AAAAAAAACZE/tB9L0ddSDP8/s320/IMG_1718.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485346274850036322" border="0" /></a><br />Large parts of the park were closed on my recent visit, since the volcano has been acting a bit differently lately. A few weeks ago it began spewing lava in a new location and as a result, the gases have been considered too dangerous to inhale in certain areas. If I had stayed 'til dark, I would have been able to see the red glow of lava further along the edges of the park (at the crater itself it primarily flows underground), but I wasn't up for a long, winding drive at night.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TB_dYSDdOKI/AAAAAAAACZM/e4Qypkcry0U/s1600/IMG_1721.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TB_dYSDdOKI/AAAAAAAACZM/e4Qypkcry0U/s320/IMG_1721.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485346280393488546" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Now then. Let's get to the plants. It's pretty amazing to see a shrub with such a lovely flower on it blooming with an active volcano so nearby. This plant is <span style="font-style: italic;">Metrosideros polymorpha</span> or <i><span class="okina" style="font-family:Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;"></span></i>ōhi<span class="okina" style="font-family:Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>a lehua. If it looks familiar, you could (maybe, possibly) remember a post I wrote that had some shots of <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/09/california-plants-donuts.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Callistemon citrinus</span></a>. These plants are both in the Myrtaceae or myrtle family and their flowers (with diminutive petals and brightly-colored, showy stamens) are quite similar.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TB_fNLTXPZI/AAAAAAAACZc/B9B-bzYasjI/s1600/IMG_1714.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TB_fNLTXPZI/AAAAAAAACZc/B9B-bzYasjI/s320/IMG_1714.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485348288625851794" border="0" /></a><br />This species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Metrosideros</span> is endemic to Hawaii, meaning that it can <span style="font-style: italic;">only</span> be found in the Hawaiian islands. Though it does have relatives in New Zealand that are quite similar. The species itself is highly variable and over the years varieties of <span style="font-style: italic;">Metrosideros polymorpha </span>have been further categorized into new species, all equally endemic to Hawaii. Some of the variations we find among the Hawaiian species include the hairiness of the leaves (hairier in drier climates, as the hairs trap ambient moisture) and the color of the leaves (changing from green to greenish-gray to gray).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TB_dYxlOeLI/AAAAAAAACZU/A3HMkWbAMMc/s1600/IMG_1732.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TB_dYxlOeLI/AAAAAAAACZU/A3HMkWbAMMc/s320/IMG_1732.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485346288856627378" border="0" /></a><br />The species itself is highly adaptable. It can maintain itself as a small shrub or tower to 20+ meters. The incredibly light seeds can blow for miles in the wind and this is partly why the plant is often the first colonizer of post-volcanic, lava-laden landscapes. As it colonizes a lava field, it begins to degrade the rock into soil and provides perching locations for birds. Ultimately, the landscape succeeds into a fern forest, as can be found just a mile away from the Kīlauea crater itself (more on the ferns this week).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCDFxrndm5I/AAAAAAAACZk/VwGQnqn1Y4A/s1600/IMG_1779.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TCDFxrndm5I/AAAAAAAACZk/VwGQnqn1Y4A/s320/IMG_1779.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5485601803449768850" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TB_dX9Zy2mI/AAAAAAAACZE/tB9L0ddSDP8/s1600/IMG_1718.jpg"><br /></a>I was all too excited to pick up a book at the Volcanoes National Park visitor's center - <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0824816897?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=neyoplanotst-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0824816897">Hawaii's Plants and Animals: Biological Sketches of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=neyoplanotst-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0824816897" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; font-style: italic;" width="1" border="0" height="1" /> - and it's a terrific read so far. When I was reading about <span style="font-style: italic;">Metrosideros</span> the authors noted a curious phenomena with this plant: at times, massive swaths of ōhi<span class="okina" style="font-family:Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>a will die out. When biologists at the park first documented this, they immediately investigated whether a foreign pest or disease was the cause of such dieback, but no culprit was found. Instead, they can only determine that a heavy rain or drought can trigger this mass death. It seems to be part of the evolutionary hardwiring of the plant. Today that is problematic because, given the pervasiveness of the alien plant <span style="font-style: italic;">Pennisetum</span>, the former ōhi<span class="okina" style="font-family:Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>a forests can be quickly invaded by this weed and prohibit young ōhi<span class="okina" style="font-family:Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>a to take root. Forecasting ōhi<span class="okina" style="font-family:Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>a dieback and managing the re-population of young ōhi<span class="okina" style="font-family:Lucida Sans Unicode,sans-serif;">ʻ</span>a is a chief concern for land managers on the big island today.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-41992336283647161402010-06-07T11:07:00.000-07:002010-06-07T11:41:10.739-07:00Aloha from the Honolulu Zoo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA0784N0q9I/AAAAAAAACY8/9zDBGfKfYG4/s1600/IMG_1393.JPG"><br /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I spent the afternoon yesterday strolling around the Honolulu Zoo. To be honest, my nostalgic parents had me on a mission. In 1981, we were in Honolulu for a few day during our move to Kuala Lumpur. We went to the zoo and my folks took a snapshot of my brother and me. They understandably want the same shot, 29 years later. How could I turn them down? Perhaps if they scan the old one and send it to me, I can put a "before and after" up, for kicks.<br /><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05zFYla6I/AAAAAAAACYc/xgTMKlUrSa8/s1600/IMG_1409.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA03duPTNsI/AAAAAAAACX0/rOO8ZoeDBhU/s1600/IMG_1372.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA03duPTNsI/AAAAAAAACX0/rOO8ZoeDBhU/s320/IMG_1372.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480097305347700418" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA03bnybF9I/AAAAAAAACXc/oZXx8Gl4X8Y/s1600/IMG_1451.JPG"><br /></a> The Honolulu Zoo is a modest one, small, probably around 50 acres I would guess. The signage is some locations is quite old and of course, their fake rock concrete walls are distant ancestors to some of the fancier work you can see these days, like at my old workplace, the Bronx Zoo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA03duPTNsI/AAAAAAAACX0/rOO8ZoeDBhU/s1600/IMG_1372.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05xgxHKaI/AAAAAAAACYM/tNyPtOkySY8/s1600/IMG_1366.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05xgxHKaI/AAAAAAAACYM/tNyPtOkySY8/s320/IMG_1366.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480099844352059810" border="0" /></a><br />But none of that matters much if the animals are engaged, physically and mentally. And that seems to be the case for most of the tenants here.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA03dKlbJEI/AAAAAAAACXs/j4bR89JFEuw/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA03dKlbJEI/AAAAAAAACXs/j4bR89JFEuw/s320/IMG_1362.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480097295776818242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05w7dr9oI/AAAAAAAACYE/XCZNPTBI1IE/s1600/IMG_1359.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05w7dr9oI/AAAAAAAACYE/XCZNPTBI1IE/s320/IMG_1359.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480099834338473602" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA03cXwiSMI/AAAAAAAACXk/jb4bx-2jrp8/s1600/IMG_1388.jpg"><br /></a>Their African Savannah walk is small but the moats are laid out sensibly and you get pretty intimate views of the animals. It was the closest I'd been to these animals (except for one behind the scenes experience at the Bronx Zoo with a giraffe - the feeder let me pet her nose!).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05zFYla6I/AAAAAAAACYc/xgTMKlUrSa8/s1600/IMG_1409.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05zFYla6I/AAAAAAAACYc/xgTMKlUrSa8/s320/IMG_1409.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480099871361166242" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA03dz-ZObI/AAAAAAAACX8/3qh45lLjzmY/s1600/IMG_1395.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA03dz-ZObI/AAAAAAAACX8/3qh45lLjzmY/s320/IMG_1395.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480097306887403954" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05yWZC8xI/AAAAAAAACYU/xzeOlWQNtt4/s1600/IMG_1403.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05yWZC8xI/AAAAAAAACYU/xzeOlWQNtt4/s320/IMG_1403.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480099858746635026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA076wAUz_I/AAAAAAAACYk/s05Xu9ti7Sc/s1600/IMG_1412.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA076wAUz_I/AAAAAAAACYk/s05Xu9ti7Sc/s320/IMG_1412.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480102202084478962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05yWZC8xI/AAAAAAAACYU/xzeOlWQNtt4/s1600/IMG_1403.jpg"><br /></a>I'd also say the keepers have a good sense of humor. Apparently they have rhinos that could be mating. Rather than close the exhibit so that the rhinos' "rough behavior" would be behind closed doors, they simply informed the public about what they could possibly see. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA077v3qhvI/AAAAAAAACYs/QnFjbBEXEV4/s1600/IMG_1419.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA077v3qhvI/AAAAAAAACYs/QnFjbBEXEV4/s320/IMG_1419.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480102219228022514" border="0" /></a><br />And this sweet sign must have been in response to concerned questions from visitors. It still tickles me they named him Bobbles. Unfortunately I didn't spot Bobbles yesterday.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA0784N0q9I/AAAAAAAACY8/9zDBGfKfYG4/s1600/IMG_1393.JPG"><br /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA078N5GujI/AAAAAAAACY0/R3-symoKSMM/s1600/IMG_1420.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA078N5GujI/AAAAAAAACY0/R3-symoKSMM/s320/IMG_1420.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480102227287128626" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA077v3qhvI/AAAAAAAACYs/QnFjbBEXEV4/s1600/IMG_1419.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA076wAUz_I/AAAAAAAACYk/s05Xu9ti7Sc/s1600/IMG_1412.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TA05w7dr9oI/AAAAAAAACYE/XCZNPTBI1IE/s1600/IMG_1359.JPG"><br /></a>Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-87352838132014260332010-06-02T05:31:00.000-07:002010-06-06T13:28:08.315-07:00Kalmia latifoliaAs I mentioned earlier this week, I've been doing a lot of traveling lately. Last Tuesday I went to Ocean City, New Jersey to meet with the town's Environmental Commission to talk about native plants. Two weekends before, I was helping my mom out with some spring cleaning. When I was on the bus going home after that weekend, I noticed tiny hints of pink in the woods next to the Garden State Parkway. I knew immediately that they were <span style="font-style: italic;">Kalmia latifolia</span> or Mountain Laurel.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAZQ67s2pJI/AAAAAAAACXU/Vg9KQMXZKMg/s1600/080626+1338.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAZQ67s2pJI/AAAAAAAACXU/Vg9KQMXZKMg/s320/080626+1338.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478154970131244178" border="0" /></a><br />People who have tried to get this plant to thrive in their garden probably look at this shot of <span style="font-style: italic;">Kalmia,</span> growing beautifully on the side of the Garden State Parkway, and grit their teeth. The plant is notoriously difficult. As the common name implies, the plant does best in well drained soil (like, on the sides of mountains, or here, in extremely sandy soil). I see it in South Jersey a lot and of course, it's ubiquitous in the Appalachian.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAZQSt76icI/AAAAAAAACXM/8HCdcg0lDqs/s1600/080626+1336.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAZQSt76icI/AAAAAAAACXM/8HCdcg0lDqs/s320/080626+1336.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478154279241550274" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Kalmia </span>is in the Ericaceae or blueberry family. The foliage and its need for acidic soil is similar to another Ericaceous plant, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Rhododendron</span>. But the flowers are quite unique. I love the flower buds before they open - they look almost like the hard candy cake decorations you can buy at the grocery store. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAZQScHzMII/AAAAAAAACXE/zMDeA91S7tM/s1600/080626+1335.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAZQScHzMII/AAAAAAAACXE/zMDeA91S7tM/s320/080626+1335.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478154274459562114" border="0" /></a><br />The plant is called <span style="font-style: italic;">Kalmia</span> after Pehr Kalm who sent samples of the plant to Linnaeus. <span style="font-style: italic;">Latifolia </span>means wide leaves. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAZQR0eBBzI/AAAAAAAACW8/iZyRNDTzY0w/s1600/080626+1337.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAZQR0eBBzI/AAAAAAAACW8/iZyRNDTzY0w/s320/080626+1337.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478154263815325490" border="0" /></a><br />This is a very, very pale pink plant, but you can find deeper pinks, like the color of ballet shoes. In either case, they are lovely. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAZQRdn0GQI/AAAAAAAACW0/ZDugbgEnZwU/s1600/080626+1334.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAZQRdn0GQI/AAAAAAAACW0/ZDugbgEnZwU/s320/080626+1334.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478154257682405634" border="0" /></a><br />I'm sending this out from Hawaii, so, Aloha! I'll be tweeting pictures occasionally, but won't be blogging much.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-26537891480650591982010-06-01T06:49:00.000-07:002010-06-01T07:15:18.540-07:00Mystery Geranium??Goodness. Things here have been busy. I am (most likely) going back to Hawaii this Thursday. ...The construction schedule on that job isn't a <span style="font-style: italic;">moving </span>deadline so much as a <span style="font-style: italic;">sprinting</span> deadline. Every day is different story/crisis/strategy. I'll be in Hawaii for a week for work and then, hopefully, another whole week for vacation. I'm hoping to spend some time on the Big Island, to visit <a href="http://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm">Volcanoes National Park</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea_Observatory">Mauna Kea</a> and <a href="http://www.hawaiiweb.com/hawaii/html/sites/rainbow_falls.html">Rainbow Falls</a>. If you have any recommendations for hotels (particularly in the Hilo area) please let me know!<br /><br />In addition to an upcoming trip, I have an upcoming move and have been consistently setting up appointments with clients in the DC area. I've spent so much time on a bus between NY, NJ, DC and Philly lately, I'm beginning to feel like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064665/">Ratso Rizzo</a> (though hopefully sans the untimely end). <br /><br />To wit: I've been neglecting this blog a bit and haven't been snapping many photos. It's gotten so bad that I had to consult the archives and find a photo from this time last year.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAUQxOV1eaI/AAAAAAAACWk/zdkum8t5G6Q/s1600/3587989182_dc2717d34b_b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAUQxOV1eaI/AAAAAAAACWk/zdkum8t5G6Q/s320/3587989182_dc2717d34b_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477802959615392162" border="0" /></a><br />Which brings me to the <span style="font-style: italic;">Geranium </span>species<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>we have here, growing in the Liz Christy Garden. At first, I cavalierly applied the species name <span style="font-style: italic;">maculatum </span>to this plant, but then wondered, could it be <span style="font-style: italic;">G. sanguineum</span> instead? Or maybe it's <span style="font-style: italic;">G. macrorrhizum</span>, the bigroot geranium (presumably the roots are big because it has a particularly good symbiotic relationship with mvcorrhiza the nitrogen-fixing fungus beneficial to so many plants). Suffice to say, I am stumped. Wikipedia states that there are over 400 species of this genus and I just don't feel equipped to hazard a guess. For all I know it could be cultivated so aggressively that it's no longer applied to any species (see <a href="http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8&amp;sourceid=navclient&amp;gfns=1&amp;q=geranium+rozanne">Geranium 'Rozanne'</a>). If you have a guess or you outright know what this plant is, please do share with us!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAUQxS5gCTI/AAAAAAAACWs/K7-OEqpJqiI/s1600/3588001326_37753af513_b.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/TAUQxS5gCTI/AAAAAAAACWs/K7-OEqpJqiI/s320/3588001326_37753af513_b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477802960838723890" border="0" /></a><br />Now then, a bit about the genus itself. The common name for <span style="font-style: italic;">Geranium </span>is cransebill. That's because when the flower goes to seed, it forms a tall column of seeds that will spring open when they are ready to be spread. The column itself looks like the bill of a crane. This also accounts for the plant's scientific name - <span style="font-style: italic;">geranos </span>is an ancient Greek word for 'crane'. The perennials are generally hardy and bloom this time of year in shades of pink, blue and white. I love the foliage which has a sharp aroma when crushed.<br /><br />You could be wondering, <span style="font-style: italic;">but this plant doesn't look like the <a href="http://humanflowerproject.com/images/uploads/so-called-geranium.jpg">annual geraniums</a> I buy...! </span>That's because the geraniums sold as annual plants are technically <span style="font-style: italic;">Pelargonium. </span>They used to be classified as the same genus but have since been separated into its own genus.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-69329441693686098562010-05-26T06:23:00.000-07:002010-05-26T06:51:32.740-07:00Green HawthornI was in my old neighborhood in the Lower East Side yesterday and saw a row of trees from across the street. I thought they may have been hawthorns, though was doubtful. It would seem like they would have been long past blooming this late in the spring. But sure enough, I found the entire block of Stanton Street was planted with <span style="font-style: italic;">Crataegus viridis</span> or green hawthorn.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0jAve4syI/AAAAAAAACWU/HZT0kjm9bWY/s1600/080626+1286.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0jAve4syI/AAAAAAAACWU/HZT0kjm9bWY/s320/080626+1286.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475571217605374754" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see from the photo below, the bloom has dulled a bit and I'm sure these specimens looked much better a week ago. But I've wanted to blog about this plant for so long and have yet to get around to it so I'm not going to wait a whole other year!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0jA_9VFAI/AAAAAAAACWc/QOLfUiZrQhs/s1600/080626+1287.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0jA_9VFAI/AAAAAAAACWc/QOLfUiZrQhs/s320/080626+1287.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475571222028030978" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Crataegus viridis</span> is a small ornamental flowering tree with corymbs of white flowers in mid spring. The flowers are not as showy or colorful as a <span style="font-style: italic;">Malus </span>or <span style="font-style: italic;">Prunus</span> but they are quite lovely. And hawthorns have several other advantages to offer. Namely, depending on the cultivar, the plant is laden with showy, persistent berries in the fall and winter. 'Winter King' has long been a favorite due to it's gorgeous fruit set each year. <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0iQA4Pb4I/AAAAAAAACWE/_gLYmAJm-ys/s1600/080626+1292.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0iQA4Pb4I/AAAAAAAACWE/_gLYmAJm-ys/s320/080626+1292.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475570380461535106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >New leaves are quite different in shape<br />than the more mature ones. </span><br /></div><br />Another advantage is this plant's status as a native to the southeastern US. Perhaps related to this, the plant is very tough and is not prone to the many diseases that haunt crabapples. <br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0iPxTO6QI/AAAAAAAACV8/ZUn8944mtP4/s1600/080626+1290.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0iPxTO6QI/AAAAAAAACV8/ZUn8944mtP4/s320/080626+1290.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475570376279779586" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >The bark is somewhat fibrous looking,<br />with longer vertical splits.</span><br /></div><br />Finally, hawthorns provide habitat to many local wildlife species. The berries provide food for birds and the plant itself is a great supporter of butterflies. In fact, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Lepidoptera_that_feed_on_hawthorns">wikipedia has a great list of butterfly and moth species that find sustenance from this tree</a>. However, one species that does not like the hawthorn is deer. Which is another terrific advantage. For the most part, deer avoid foraging on this tree, unless they are really, really hungry.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0iQmWg_CI/AAAAAAAACWM/zVtGHTV2osA/s1600/080626+1289.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0iQmWg_CI/AAAAAAAACWM/zVtGHTV2osA/s320/080626+1289.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475570390520626210" border="0" /></a><br />This could have something to do with the large thorns on the tree as well. The one above is a new thorn, but as they age, they harden into sharp, woody needles. I was on a job site at the zoo once and (not prepared, and wearing the wrong type of shoe) a needle went clear through the sole of my shoe and into my heel. It hurt. A lot. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0iPRwEVAI/AAAAAAAACV0/OW1JFfX3g6U/s1600/080626+1293.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_0iPRwEVAI/AAAAAAAACV0/OW1JFfX3g6U/s320/080626+1293.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475570367810786306" border="0" /></a><br />Hawthorns are named as such because one definition of "haw" is "fruit". It can also mean hedge and in England <span style="font-style: italic;">Crataegus monogyna</span> is often used as a hedge. <span style="font-style: italic;">Crataegus </span>itself is derivative of the Greek work 'kratos' which means 'strength'. The origin refers to the hardness of hawthorn wood.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-7019136259347457102010-05-24T07:03:00.000-07:002010-05-24T07:35:02.493-07:00Rosa rugosaA couple weeks ago I visited my folks at their place on the Jersey shore and was thrilled to see that the rugosa roses (<span style="font-style: italic;">Rosa rugosa) </span>we planted last year are thriving. I can't say I was particularly worried about their survival -- rugosa roses are practically bulletproof, so long as they are planted someplace dry and sunny. Indeed, like the heroine in any bad chick-flick (I'm looking at you, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988595/">Katherine Heigl</a>), rugosa roses thrive on neglect.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qIhzRdUBI/AAAAAAAACVU/bxh9rKQcYfc/s1600/080626+1277.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qIhzRdUBI/AAAAAAAACVU/bxh9rKQcYfc/s320/080626+1277.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474838411302752274" border="0" /></a><br />The flower above is from one of the shrubs we planted at my folks' place. I prefer the single-flowering varieties, because I like seeing the very showy stamens. However the multi-flowering varieties are beautiful, too. The samples above and below are both hot pink, though you can find <span style="font-style: italic;">Rosa rugosa </span>in red and white, as well.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qIhDhcY4I/AAAAAAAACVE/XeI96QDneQs/s1600/web2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qIhDhcY4I/AAAAAAAACVE/XeI96QDneQs/s320/web2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474838398484898690" border="0" /></a><br />Below is the same multi-flowering specimen, rambling along some beach fencing, not far from the spot where I <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/10/parthenocissus-quinquefolia.html">posted</a> some photos of <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/10/parthenocissus-quinquefolia.html">Virginia Creeper</a> a few autumns ago. As you can see, it's spreading prodigiously and since this shot is taken a few hundred yards away from the coastline you can surmise the plant can grow in 100% sand. In fact, it's often employed for dune restoration.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qIhpMB5sI/AAAAAAAACVM/GC7JxQsalKY/s1600/web.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qIhpMB5sI/AAAAAAAACVM/GC7JxQsalKY/s320/web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474838408595629762" border="0" /></a><br />I love the thick, fleshy foliage of<span style="font-style: italic;"> Rosa rugosa</span> and the hips are quite showy as well. I've been told they can be used to make a wonderful tea.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qJtN0W3aI/AAAAAAAACVs/CMyIgCaXToU/s1600/080626+1275.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qJtN0W3aI/AAAAAAAACVs/CMyIgCaXToU/s320/080626+1275.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474839706918641058" border="0" /></a><br />Last summer, my parents needed a plant to use in the corner of their property, which is also at the intersection of two streets. I insisted they plant this. It's not native, but it does have a cultural relevance to beach locations since it's ubiquitous in such areas. Rugosa rose was introduced to North America in the mid-18th Century and so far, the plant has not proven to be invasive. I've even seen this species appear on lists of acceptable dune restoration plants in townships that are strict about using native or ecologically-responsible species.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qJsGxTsyI/AAAAAAAACVc/OvYUj72EYJw/s1600/080626+1273.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qJsGxTsyI/AAAAAAAACVc/OvYUj72EYJw/s320/080626+1273.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474839687846933282" border="0" /></a><br />Of course, the plant is thorny as all-get-out. Which makes for a tricky installation, but does keep people from cutting across the corner of our yard. I wrapped the shrubs gently in old beach towels to place them and of course used heavy duty gloves. I am happy to say I walked away unscathed after planting them.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qJsm7O3mI/AAAAAAAACVk/_08gI9vPnX0/s1600/080626+1271.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qJsm7O3mI/AAAAAAAACVk/_08gI9vPnX0/s320/080626+1271.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474839696478494306" border="0" /></a><br />We only put three roses in an area that is probably about 200 square feet. It looked a bit spare last summer and I had to fight off my parents' urges to plant some perennials in the bare spots. But this year, the plant has already begun to sucker, and by next summer the area should be filled out. Just like that heroine in the bad chick flick, patience is a virtue.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_qJsGxTsyI/AAAAAAAACVc/OvYUj72EYJw/s1600/080626+1273.jpg"><br /></a>Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-49203416939209610902010-05-18T06:57:00.000-07:002010-05-18T07:55:35.048-07:00Monkey Pod TreeI mentioned <span style="font-style: italic;">Albizia saman</span> in <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2010/05/birds-nest-fern.html">last week's post about Asplenium </a>and then promised to comment more on this lovely tree in the future. Well, that time is now.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_KfbB6UnTI/AAAAAAAACUs/XpnmUgEbdYo/s1600/080626+1148.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_KfbB6UnTI/AAAAAAAACUs/XpnmUgEbdYo/s320/080626+1148.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472611783926914354" border="0" /></a><br />First of all, what a beauty, eh? I am *in love* with the elegant, almost overreaching canopy. The form is so striking and, as common as this tree is in Oahu, I think I will always equate monkey pod tree with my wanderings on this trip.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_Kd34vB18I/AAAAAAAACUU/OZt1soLYfoY/s1600/080626+1106.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_Kd34vB18I/AAAAAAAACUU/OZt1soLYfoY/s320/080626+1106.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472610080656578498" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_Kd3fPOiUI/AAAAAAAACUM/XZi1Ij75798/s1600/080626+1018.jpg"><br /></a>Not that <span style="font-style: italic;">Albizia saman</span> is native to the Hawaiian islands, it's instead native to Central and South America, distributed between Mexico and Brazil. Indeed, due to the region's geologic history, Hawaii is fairly sparse in terms of native plants. More often that not, the plants that are most popular here are native to other areas and were planted by colonists or passers-through. (Somewhat relevant to this information, in <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2010/05/artocarpus-atilis.html">last week's post about breadfruit</a> my friend Matthew asked if <span style="font-style: italic;">Artocarpus </span>was endemic to Hawaii and it's not. It's native to the Malay peninsula and the surrounding islands.)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_KfacdN7nI/AAAAAAAACUc/pk67nK-seXI/s1600/080626+1151.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_KfacdN7nI/AAAAAAAACUc/pk67nK-seXI/s320/080626+1151.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472611773872729714" border="0" /></a><br />Here above is another shot of the tree pictured at the top of this post. You can gauge from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Monstera </span>leaves below how big this trunk is. I'd say its diameter was probably around 9-10'. A woman at the Waimea Botanical Garden says the arborists speculate this specimen is over 200 years old. In that case it is quite like the <a href="http://www.diariodeamerica.com/front_nota_detalle.php?id_noticia=4341">"Samán de Güere"</a> a Venezuelan national treasure and landmark. That specimen was originally recorded by Alexander von Humboldt, a German naturalist and one of the founders of biogeography, in his trip to South America between 1799 and 1804. You can see an old print of this Venezuelan icon <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ggQ_KRePWos/SACpGPUFLXI/AAAAAAAAAHw/D8oui0ASBGY/s1600-h/El+Saman+del+G%C3%BCere.jpg">here</a>. Unfortunately, there's scant information about this tree online, in English (and my Spanish is pretty shoddy these days).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_Kfa4re69I/AAAAAAAACUk/vaYxAzw0lRE/s1600/080626+1153.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_Kfa4re69I/AAAAAAAACUk/vaYxAzw0lRE/s320/080626+1153.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472611781448756178" border="0" /></a><br />I know I'm quite smitten with a new species when I have a ton of photos of the feature I like so much (in this case, the branching habit) and one cursory shot of another key characteristic (in this case, the leaves). In fact, I was relieved to find I had even one picture of the species' pinnately compound leaves. Knowing that the leaves are pinnately compound, you could hazard a guess that <span style="font-style: italic;">Albizia </span>is a member of the pea or legume family, and you'd be right. Technically these days, you'd say it is a member of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Fabaceae</span> family, though <span style="font-style: italic;">Leguminosae</span> is still commonly used and considered acceptable. In either case, <span style="font-style: italic;">Fabaceae</span> trees have similar leaves and pea-pod like fruits. Other species of this family which we have previously discussed are <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/10/honey-locusts.html">Gleditsia</a>, <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/04/black-locust.html">Robinia</a>, <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/04/sophora-japonica.html">Sophora</a>, <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2009/05/lupinus-perennis.html">Lupinus</a>, <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/05/eastern-redbud.html">Cercis</a> </span>and<span style="font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2009/10/yellowwood.html">Cladrastis</a>.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_Kd3fPOiUI/AAAAAAAACUM/XZi1Ij75798/s1600/080626+1018.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S_Kd3fPOiUI/AAAAAAAACUM/XZi1Ij75798/s320/080626+1018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472610073812306242" border="0" /></a><br />Finally, on a very unscientific note, every time I look at this photo, I can hear Meryl Streep saying in her Danish accent <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089755/">"I had a farm in Africa</a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089755/">."</a> Indeed, monkey pod tree is related to <span style="font-style: italic;">Albizia amara</span>, a tree that is found in the dry scrublands between Sudan and South Africa.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-13041293196525976382010-05-12T08:02:00.001-07:002010-05-12T08:18:59.111-07:00Artocarpus atilisHere in Waimea Valley Botanical Garden, we now visit the breadfruit tree, or <span style="font-style: italic;">Artocarpus atilis. </span>I saw this tree elsewhere in Honolulu and was always struck by the huge feathery leaves. With such big leaves (check out the bottom pic, my foot's about 8" long so the leaf must be close to 20") you'd expect a coarser texture in the canopy but the deep narrow leaf sinuses soften the whole look.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-rD1g9d0zI/AAAAAAAACT0/YPzhDuvE0Js/s1600/080626+1066.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-rD1g9d0zI/AAAAAAAACT0/YPzhDuvE0Js/s320/080626+1066.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470400021543113522" border="0" /></a><br />Sadly, this member of the mulberry (Moraceae) family was not in fruit, as I would have loved trying it out. It's called breadfruit, obviously enough, because the plant is very, very starchy. It's about a quarter carbs and the rest is water. Because of it's starchiness, it's often baked or fried.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-rD2G2n_fI/AAAAAAAACT8/auzVxTHgREE/s1600/080626+1067.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-rD2G2n_fI/AAAAAAAACT8/auzVxTHgREE/s320/080626+1067.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470400031714967026" border="0" /></a><br />Breadfruit is also a very high-fruiting tree, producing impressive fruit yields. In fact, Captain William Bligh and his infamous <span style="font-style: italic;">Bounty</span> crew was tasked with harvesting breadfruit from Tahiti so the British could cultivate it in the Caribbean. They aimed to do so because the plant would be a fast and cheap source of food for British slaves. Ugh.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-rD2Xg9c9I/AAAAAAAACUE/FT0ahkrEjio/s1600/080626+1070.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-rD2Xg9c9I/AAAAAAAACUE/FT0ahkrEjio/s320/080626+1070.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470400036187501522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Artocarpus</span> is literally Greek for breadfruit. <span style="font-style: italic;">Artos </span>means bread and <span style="font-style: italic;">carpus</span> means fruit or body.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-85243893117933942342010-05-10T06:25:00.000-07:002010-05-10T07:39:24.266-07:00Bird's Nest FernWe have talked about <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/search/label/epiphytes">epiphytes </a>a few times on this blog and really, there can't be a better place to revisit the subject than in a valley forest in Hawaii. Below, you can see several different epiphytes growing in the canopy of a monkey pod tree (<span style="font-style: italic;">Albizia saman</span>, more on that later).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-gLEK5aCTI/AAAAAAAACTc/gr78bLU1kBA/s1600/080626+899.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-gLEK5aCTI/AAAAAAAACTc/gr78bLU1kBA/s320/080626+899.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469633913713985842" border="0" /></a><br />Perhaps most beautiful are the apple green leaves of bird's nest fern (<span style="font-style: italic;">Asplenium nidis). </span>Bird's nest ferns share their genus with 700 other species, some of which are very similar and often confused with <span style="font-style: italic;">Asplenium nidis</span>.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-gLEn-XMQI/AAAAAAAACTk/hYeKR7p4hYQ/s1600/080626+903.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-gLEn-XMQI/AAAAAAAACTk/hYeKR7p4hYQ/s320/080626+903.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469633921519399170" border="0" /></a><br />This particular species can grow in trees as it is above or can grow terrestrially. They are also popular houseplants. Many of the species of <span style="font-style: italic;">Asplenium </span>are generally referred to as spleenworts. This knowledge may give us pause as we consider the genus name again: <span style="font-style: italic;">Asplenium </span>literally means "without spleen". It was thought, due to the spleen-shaped spores on some species of this genus, that this plant would help reduce swelling of the spleen. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-gLFCMc85I/AAAAAAAACTs/nXhZEsncksI/s1600/080626+900.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-gLFCMc85I/AAAAAAAACTs/nXhZEsncksI/s320/080626+900.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469633928557818770" border="0" /></a><br />Above you see some additional epiphytes, including staghorn fern (<span style="font-style: italic;">Platycerium</span>) and what appears to be an epiphytic bromeliad, perhaps <span style="font-style: italic;">Nidularium</span>.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-29977017216853539552010-05-06T06:47:00.000-07:002010-05-07T11:57:22.561-07:00Spathoglottis plicata<span style="font-style: italic;">Spathoglottis plicata </span>is another one of the plants I saw on my nursery visits in Oahu. I was struck by the great, strappy leaves - they almost remind me of <span style="font-style: italic;">Acorus </span>leaves. And of course, I am an absolute sucker for this shade of deep pink. I love it.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-LJf1x2MOI/AAAAAAAACTU/wqcs-oOYWe0/s1600/080626+587.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-LJf1x2MOI/AAAAAAAACTU/wqcs-oOYWe0/s320/080626+587.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468154446430482658" border="0" /></a><br />Even from afar, something about this plant says 'orchid' and sure enough when you look at the individual flowers, they look like miniature <span style="font-style: italic;">Vandas</span>. Unlike <span style="font-style: italic;">Vanda, Spathoglottis <span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>is a terrestrial orchid, that is, they don't grow epiphytically. Instead they grow in soil like any other herbaceous plant.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-LJfVB8kUI/AAAAAAAACTM/uijugByLoSw/s1600/080626+569.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-LJfVB8kUI/AAAAAAAACTM/uijugByLoSw/s320/080626+569.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468154437639639362" border="0" /></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S-LJekARGtI/AAAAAAAACTE/UqtIQfP91bA/s1600/080626+569.jpg"><br /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Spathoglottis</span> literally means 'spathe tongue' and refers to the tongue-like flower lip. <span style="font-style: italic;">Plicata</span> means 'pleated' and refers to the leaves.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-72606363066314743412010-05-04T05:49:00.000-07:002010-05-04T05:49:00.368-07:00Traveler's PalmThis recent trip turned me around when it comes to <span style="font-style: italic;">Ravenala madagascariensis, </span>or traveler's palm. Previously, I had kinda pooh-poohed it. The form is just so...unnatural for a tree. People always seem to plant them because they like the flat rigid form then are dismayed when they see the wind shred the leaves to tatters. It always seemed a bit...gimmicky.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98-v1FmT9I/AAAAAAAACSk/dMVK5Ns5w3s/s1600/080626+976.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98-v1FmT9I/AAAAAAAACSk/dMVK5Ns5w3s/s320/080626+976.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467157464076406738" border="0" /></a><br />And if I had only encountered this plant in Waikiki then I think my opinion would remain unchanged. But luckily I went to the north shore for some vacation time after my site work and stumbled upon the <a href="http://www.waimeavalley.net/map_gardens.aspx">Waimea Valley Botanical Garden</a>. I was going to Waimea valley primarily to seek out the waterfall, so imagine my delight when I saw there were thousands of plants, all with labels.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98_wtYF8II/AAAAAAAACS8/Q1gZYV6KnLI/s1600/080626+963.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98_wtYF8II/AAAAAAAACS8/Q1gZYV6KnLI/s320/080626+963.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467158578697990274" border="0" /></a><br />I can only imagine how difficult it is to maintain a garden in a jungle valley and sure enough the landscape of the Waimea Valley Botanical Garden is sprawling and a bit shaggy. Personally, I preferred that; it would just seem wrong for a tailored garden to appear in a site like this. And I especially liked encountering this massive clump of traveler's palm growing alongside a path. It reminded me of the many people who have sought fresh water in the crevices of the leaves while on long, isolating treks (indeed, this is why the plant is called traveler's palm). Someday, when <span style="font-style: italic;">I </span>have my Hawaiian villa, I think I will grow a few traveler's palms and let them run wild, clumping into an almost unmanageable grove.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98-wuFAR1I/AAAAAAAACSs/M9MZLhCFPjQ/s1600/080626+961.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98-wuFAR1I/AAAAAAAACSs/M9MZLhCFPjQ/s320/080626+961.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467157479374735186" border="0" /></a><br />Despite the use of "palm" in the common name, <span style="font-style: italic;">Ravenala madagascariensis </span>is actually more closely related to bird-of-paradise (<span style="font-style: italic;">Strelitzia reginae)</span> than any true palm. The flowers are similar too, though <span style="font-style: italic;">Strelitzia's </span>blossoms are more colorful and a bit 'neater' looking.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98_wIHcUvI/AAAAAAAACS0/7rwlEk0AyHg/s1600/080626+959.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98_wIHcUvI/AAAAAAAACS0/7rwlEk0AyHg/s320/080626+959.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467158568696042226" border="0" /></a><br />Finally, as the species name would imply, this plant is not only native to Madagascar but is endemic to the island. It is not found in the wild anywhere else. In fact, many posit that the traveler's palm and one of its pollinators, the ruffled lemur co-evolved. This is likely based on the shape and size of the lemurs muzzle and the <span style="font-style: italic;">Ravenala's </span>blossom.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98-vRUR_1I/AAAAAAAACSc/l_sD4bWbilk/s1600/080626+654.jpg"><br /></a>Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-82417012725545754422010-05-03T12:09:00.000-07:002010-05-03T12:53:52.918-07:00Cycas circinalisMost of my work in Waikiki was on-site, coordinating installation and making sure that all the plant material was acceptable for installation. But on Friday, I was able to spend the day with the landscape contractor, visiting various plant nurseries on the island. I was to inspect the plants that had been tagged for our installation as well as look for some additional plants to use.<br /><br />Spending a day walking around plant nurseries in the company of someone who could answer me knowledgeably every time I pointed at something and said <span style="font-style: italic;">"What's that?!" </span>is pretty much my idea of heaven (or at least one of them). It was a great day.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98nsTJj8DI/AAAAAAAACRs/vuA4u-KEej0/s1600/080626+523.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98nsTJj8DI/AAAAAAAACRs/vuA4u-KEej0/s320/080626+523.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467132114659176498" border="0" /></a><br />We started out heading to nurseries in Mililani Town then headed north to Wahiawa. I'll spend a few posts sharing pics of the plants I saw during this excursion. First up, <span style="font-style: italic;">Cycas circinalis</span> or queen sago.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98izTsuWpI/AAAAAAAACRc/BUwf7hD-Auk/s1600/080626+529.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98izTsuWpI/AAAAAAAACRc/BUwf7hD-Auk/s320/080626+529.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467126737507605138" border="0" /></a><br />Most people probably know the king sago (<span style="font-style: italic;">Cycas revoluta)</span>, though I like this plant more; the leaves are much less spiny and the long, feathery fronds are quite beautiful in the sun. The term cycad refers to the plants in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Cycas </span>genus as well as all plants in the Cycadophyta division. They are generally all living fossils and have a fossil record that dates back to the Early Permian Period, 280 million years ago. <span style="font-style: italic;">Cycadaecae</span> family plants are somewhat younger, having only existed for the past forty-odd million years - their earliest fossils have been found in China and Japan. The earliest human documentation of <span style="font-style: italic;">Cycas </span>occurred in the 9th Century, when Arab naturalists noted its use by Indians to produce flour.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98pDzXJBXI/AAAAAAAACR0/epVrOsdpNEU/s1600/080626+524.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S98pDzXJBXI/AAAAAAAACR0/epVrOsdpNEU/s320/080626+524.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467133617954686322" border="0" /></a><br />The specimens at this nursery have been 'limbed up' to show the plant's trunk. Our plan for the site (these were tagged by our consultants) will be to let the lower fronds stay put, giving an overall effect of a feathery, floating plant. However, I have to say there's some profound beauty in the shadows that are cast by these leaves.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-85399165385186016782010-04-30T11:32:00.000-07:002010-04-30T12:42:13.932-07:00From Oahu to WashingtonWell, I got back from Hawaii on Wednesday and am still kinda struggling with jetlag (and the pile of emails that I've yet to address). A couple people have written me messages regarding this blog and if you are reading this, thank you! I will get back to you soon. I promise.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9sloPiGR9I/AAAAAAAACQU/NyG2b9poSzI/s1600/080626+611.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9sloPiGR9I/AAAAAAAACQU/NyG2b9poSzI/s320/080626+611.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466003946038773714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Areca palms (Dypsis lutescens) at a<br />plant nursery in Wahiawa</span></span>.<br /></div><br />Between site work and my free time in Oahu, I took about 1200 photos! I will do you, dear reader, the favor of not sharing them all. (And indeed, I can't post work photos, which is a shame since the work was quite fun.) I'll sort through some of the best pics and pepper in posts from Hawaii in the months to come.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9slojyZAXI/AAAAAAAACQc/Vds_Xl6o5PI/s1600/080626+801.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9slojyZAXI/AAAAAAAACQc/Vds_Xl6o5PI/s320/080626+801.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466003951475818866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >View northeast from Diamond Head summit</span><br /></div><br />It's also as good a time as any to announce that I'll soon be moving away from New York. This summer I will relocate to Washington DC. My 11 years in Manhattan have been wonderful, but it's time for a change. I hope to freelance and slowly build a <a href="http://jenniferghorn.com/">practice </a>of my own in the region where I was first introduced to the worlds of horticulture and landscape design. The fact that my parents, brother and sister live there certainly sweetens the deal.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9sqiwCQ8YI/AAAAAAAACQ8/6kixVYElzGQ/s1600/080626+1177.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9sqiwCQ8YI/AAAAAAAACQ8/6kixVYElzGQ/s320/080626+1177.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466009349242548610" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Haleiwa Town on the North Shore</span><br /></span></div><br />I've <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2009/08/on-turning-10.html">always struggled</a> with classifying myself as a "New Yorker" -- but this trip to Hawaii brought some of my New York characteristics into comic relief. While hiking at Diamond Head, I could precisely time when to pass other hikers with the agility of one who regularly walks on crowded Soho sidewalks, darting tourists along the way. A couple from Vancouver actually started following me, impressed with my steady (but polite - really!) progress to the summit.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9slnzsZF1I/AAAAAAAACQM/8WdAmXhT3t8/s1600/080626+1169.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9slnzsZF1I/AAAAAAAACQM/8WdAmXhT3t8/s320/080626+1169.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466003938565756754" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Can you spot the sea turtle? </span><br /></span></div><br />I wore my Yankees ballcap everywhere, trying to avoid getting <span style="font-style: italic;">too </span>tan. On the north shore, a couple heard me approach the hotel elevator and held the door for me. When I entered the car, sure enough, the woman was wearing a Red Sox hat. We mock-gruffly nodded to each other, amused to find rival fans so far from the east coast.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9slpNARpUI/AAAAAAAACQk/o9US8bvVlRI/s1600/080626+993.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9slpNARpUI/AAAAAAAACQk/o9US8bvVlRI/s320/080626+993.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466003962539910466" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Mineral falls, Waimea Valley, North Shore<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(yes, that's me in the ballcap).</span></span><br /><br /></div>As a New Yorker, I was startled to find such scant Hispanic influence in Hawaii. It's obvious enough that there wouldn't be a large Hispanic culture, but I still found myself surprised to find the second language in Honolulu is Japanese. Not that my Spanish is particularly great -- these days it mostly consists of sentences used in MTA ads (<a href="http://www.asdlabs.com/blog/2008/10/16/ripo-si-ves-algo-di-algo/">"si ve algo, di algo"</a>).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9sloPiGR9I/AAAAAAAACQU/NyG2b9poSzI/s1600/080626+611.jpg"><br /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9sqjeShWOI/AAAAAAAACRE/j5GDlpKjuhk/s1600/080626+1257.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9sqjeShWOI/AAAAAAAACRE/j5GDlpKjuhk/s320/080626+1257.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466009361658763490" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mango farms, flanked by Norfolk Island Pine<br />(Araucaria heterophylla).</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">And bagels. God, let's talk about bagels. I may be a reluctant New Yorker, but my pride in our wonderful bagels is only equal to my dismay when I rediscover this truth, which happens to be every time I leave the five boroughs. I met a woman in Waikiki who asked (upon noting my hat) if I was a New Yorker. She was from Centereach, Long Island. The next thing she said (quite woefully, I might add): "I miss bagels."<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9svAoElKmI/AAAAAAAACRM/MfKksEVFKw4/s1600/080626+1267.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9svAoElKmI/AAAAAAAACRM/MfKksEVFKw4/s320/080626+1267.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466014260547365474" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Dole Pineapple Plantation (an aside: when in Hawaii,<br />it's always worth it to spring for the convertible)</span><br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">I love New York, in the deep, complicated, and at times barbed, way one loves a former lover. I want what's best for New York. I'm a little bit afraid of what life will be like without New York. But I know that it's time to leave New York, before I become embittered by New York. I'll visit often (and will continue to teach plants at Columbia). But it's time to be on less intimate terms with New York.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-style: italic;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9sqh4P0p0I/AAAAAAAACQs/c881sNEpEss/s1600/080626+1187.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9sqh4P0p0I/AAAAAAAACQs/c881sNEpEss/s320/080626+1187.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466009334267029314" border="0" /></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ironwoods (Casuarina equisitifolia),</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunset Beach, North Shore</span></span><br /><br /></div>Now then, what to do with this blog? For the next month or two, I'll continue to blog at this site. Then I'll pick up right where I will leave off: <a href="http://dcplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/">DC, Plants &amp; Other Stuff</a>. It's a ridiculous title, but when I started this blog, I named it <span style="font-style: italic;">New York, Plants &amp; Other Stuff </span>because I really wasn't sure what the blog would be about. Over the years, it's crystallized into a site that celebrates the diminutive features of the plants all around us. I hope to continue a blog with the same tone in DC. I'll keep this site active and will most likely link to former posts regularly. I hope you join me as I move a few states south.<br /><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9slndgFQoI/AAAAAAAACQE/FvpSBh1PDLU/s1600/080626+421.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S9slndgFQoI/AAAAAAAACQE/FvpSBh1PDLU/s320/080626+421.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466003932608545410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Okay, ONE pic of the site work. Shh, don't tell.</span><br /></span></div>Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-38235277221822418112010-04-19T20:59:00.000-07:002010-04-19T21:13:18.981-07:00Aloha! ...And other stuffSo, I am blogging today from beautiful, warm Honolulu, Hawaii.<br /><br />I am here on a job until the end of next week. So my blog posts may be a bit spare. I had every good intention of blogging while here, but the first work day was pretty busy and I suspect that won't change. So, forgive me for a thin site this week.<br /><br />But, before I go completely on hiatus, a few shots from Central Park, as of last week.<br /><br />First up, <span style="font-style: italic;">Rhodotypos scandens</span>, or jetbead.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S80nzAZC4GI/AAAAAAAACP0/HWqrorPqS0A/s1600/IMG_0071.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S80nzAZC4GI/AAAAAAAACP0/HWqrorPqS0A/s320/IMG_0071.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462065680302137442" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Jetbead is one of those plants you never notice until it's blooming. It's a small, nondescript shrub with attractive jade-green foliage. But when it blooms, it's quite lovely. It used to be called white kerria, as the foliage resembles <span style="font-style: italic;">Kerria japonica</span> but most people know it as jetbead now, named such for its black persistent berries. <span style="font-style: italic;">Rhodotypos</span> is native to Japan and China and is invasive.<br /><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S80nzhcvRPI/AAAAAAAACP8/nz2KkNlkb78/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S80nzhcvRPI/AAAAAAAACP8/nz2KkNlkb78/s320/IMG_0073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462065689175999730" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Another beauty in bloom right now is <span style="font-style: italic;">Halesia tetraptera </span>or Carolina silverbell. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S80nx72H_iI/AAAAAAAACPk/ZbramEyGvUo/s1600/IMG_0067.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S80nx72H_iI/AAAAAAAACPk/ZbramEyGvUo/s320/IMG_0067.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462065661902061090" border="0" /></a><br />It's easy enough to discern why it's called silverbell; the lovely white blossoms hang like little bells. The seed pods are why it's given the species name <span style="font-style: italic;">tetraptera</span> which literally means four-winged since the seed pods look like little starfruit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S80nye-gN9I/AAAAAAAACPs/lUWsqviXksY/s1600/IMG_0069.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S80nye-gN9I/AAAAAAAACPs/lUWsqviXksY/s320/IMG_0069.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462065671332444114" border="0" /></a><br />This one below is a gorgeous mature specimen just northeast of the Central Park Bandshell.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S80nxXsQYNI/AAAAAAAACPc/mix_0IFz4Ko/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S80nxXsQYNI/AAAAAAAACPc/mix_0IFz4Ko/s320/IMG_0080.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462065652196991186" border="0" /></a>That's it for now. I hope to tweet some photos from Hawaii this week so please follow me at twitter.com/jhornlandscape! If you don't well, then I will certainly have a wealth of blogworthy photos for when I'm back.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-9335977165545664722010-04-14T06:01:00.000-07:002010-04-14T06:32:43.161-07:00CrabapplesLike last week's post on <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/search?q=daffodil">daffodils</a>, today's post is sorely overdue. It's about one of my favorite spring-blooming ornamental trees: the crabapple. <br /><br />I simply love crabapples. There's something so wild and unsophisticatedly beautiful about them. And of course, many of them are like the two specimens below: utterly laden with flowers.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw3EQA-0I/AAAAAAAACOk/y9CtVS_Epxs/s1600/IMG_0056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw3EQA-0I/AAAAAAAACOk/y9CtVS_Epxs/s320/IMG_0056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459823845848447810" border="0" /></a><br />I'd say this pink is just about the perfect hue (that is, until I consider the <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/05/eastern-redbud.html">redbud</a>, also blooming now). As you can see, the flowers open up a darker pink then slowly turn lighter. The single flowers of five petals are not as fussy or hybridized as the heavy double flowers of a cherry, and the stamens on a crabapple are quite showy too.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw3m0o4mI/AAAAAAAACOs/MUY7tIUaIg4/s1600/IMG_0058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw3m0o4mI/AAAAAAAACOs/MUY7tIUaIg4/s320/IMG_0058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459823855128863330" border="0" /></a><br />It probably seems a little silly to call a tree "unsophisticatedly beautiful" (and spell check disapproves) but if you look at the branching habit below, perhaps you'd agree. There's a stubby, wild character to the tree's overall shape that makes them appear a little less cookie-cutter than a flowering cherry. Though I'm sure we can find plenty of lollipop-shaped crabapple cultivars.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw4Ae_AHI/AAAAAAAACO0/GA1MM0T9UnA/s1600/IMG_0059.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw4Ae_AHI/AAAAAAAACO0/GA1MM0T9UnA/s320/IMG_0059.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459823862017359986" border="0" /></a><br />I'm not trying to make this blog post a "crabapple vs. cherry" discussion, but I often feel <span style="font-style: italic;">Malus </span>is overlooked this time of year for the benefit of their showier relative (indeed both are in the Rosaceae family). And... since we're enumerating the merits of this plant, I'd have to add crabs have lovely fall color and showy fruit (though, <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2009/11/cherries.html">cherries have good fall color</a> too).<br /><br />Crabapples or Cherries? It's like Betty or Veronica, the Beatles or the Stones. What do you like most?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw4kspKGI/AAAAAAAACO8/6nJo_awVTKs/s1600/IMG_0061.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw4kspKGI/AAAAAAAACO8/6nJo_awVTKs/s320/IMG_0061.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459823871738325090" border="0" /></a><br />A bit on etymology: <span style="font-style: italic;">Malus </span>is derivative for the Greek word for apple or the more general Greek word for fruit. The Latin word for apple is <span>also </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Malus</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>and, interestingly enough, the word for evil ('malum') derives from the word for apple. This evidently refers to the story of Adam and Eve and equating apples with evil. It's also worth noting that the precursor to this tale of an infamous apple involves the Greek Goddess of Discord, Eris. Eris was miffed because she wasn't invited to a wedding, so she tossed an apple engraved with "for the most beautiful" to the wedding guests in a strange yet successful attempt to rile up the competitive spirits of Hera, Athena and Aphrodite.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw4Ae_AHI/AAAAAAAACO0/GA1MM0T9UnA/s1600/IMG_0059.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw3m0o4mI/AAAAAAAACOs/MUY7tIUaIg4/s1600/IMG_0058.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8Uw3EQA-0I/AAAAAAAACOk/y9CtVS_Epxs/s1600/IMG_0056.JPG"><br /></a>Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-5231734268968982612010-04-13T08:40:00.000-07:002010-04-13T09:15:46.367-07:00From the NYBG Orchid ShowIf you didn't make it to the NYBG Orchid Show last week, then my apologies. It was a really lovely exhibit with what seemed to be tens of thousands of orchids.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8STmi6q_kI/AAAAAAAACNU/NZA45kzd8CE/s1600/080626+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8STmi6q_kI/AAAAAAAACNU/NZA45kzd8CE/s320/080626+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459650938697088578" border="0" /></a><br />I could spend weeks sharing photos and information about the difference species of orchids on display, but it's spring so I'd rather get on to all that is in bloom. A lot of what's in bloom have been covered before by this blog, such as: <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/05/flowering-dogwood-ditmas-park.html">Cornus florida</a>, <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/04/bleeding-heart.html">Cherries</a>, <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/04/virginia-bluebells.html">Virginia Bluebells</a>, <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/04/grape-hyacinths-in-union-square.html">Muscari</a>, <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2009/05/fothergilla.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Fothergilla </span></a>and <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/04/saucer-magnolias-in-central-park.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Magnolia soulangiana</span></a>. But there's a lot that have yet to debut on this site, and I need to get to work.<br /><br />In the meantime, here's some gorgeous orchids to get you inspired about the garden indoors.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SVSyq47bI/AAAAAAAACOM/3OJQtMXas60/s1600/080626+089.jpg"></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SVSiwakNI/AAAAAAAACOE/1HkGUUmCdw4/s1600/080626+096.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SVSiwakNI/AAAAAAAACOE/1HkGUUmCdw4/s320/080626+096.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459652794079940818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Phalaenopsis</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SVSHKRXlI/AAAAAAAACN8/L5jfr-JyWZg/s1600/080626+072.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SVSHKRXlI/AAAAAAAACN8/L5jfr-JyWZg/s320/080626+072.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459652786672197202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Cattleya </span>(I think!)<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SToCepidI/AAAAAAAACN0/O4sNMPnH_40/s1600/080626+066.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SToCepidI/AAAAAAAACN0/O4sNMPnH_40/s320/080626+066.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459650964349356498" border="0" /></a><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2010/02/orchids.html">Vandas</a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SYIQkfzdI/AAAAAAAACOc/VnmjUew8fJ8/s1600/080626+067.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SYIQkfzdI/AAAAAAAACOc/VnmjUew8fJ8/s320/080626+067.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459655915934305746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">xDoritaenopsis</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8STnpHPoLI/AAAAAAAACNk/aDf3zw0zwsA/s1600/080626+027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8STnpHPoLI/AAAAAAAACNk/aDf3zw0zwsA/s320/080626+027.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459650957540303026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Odontocidium</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8STnFUMnvI/AAAAAAAACNc/89yI_d-sdSc/s1600/080626+022.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8STnFUMnvI/AAAAAAAACNc/89yI_d-sdSc/s320/080626+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459650947930955506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Wilsonara </span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Finally, I must have had some case of orchid fatigue, because I didn't note what these species were. I loved them ,though - so different from a florist's orchid. If you know the species please write in!<br /><br /></div></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SVTIGWucI/AAAAAAAACOU/sgNWTollhPE/s1600/080626+099.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SVTIGWucI/AAAAAAAACOU/sgNWTollhPE/s320/080626+099.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459652804104075714" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I loved this - the long, thin sepals and mottling color. I just wish I wrote the name down! Alas, next year....<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SVSyq47bI/AAAAAAAACOM/3OJQtMXas60/s1600/080626+089.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S8SVSyq47bI/AAAAAAAACOM/3OJQtMXas60/s320/080626+089.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459652798351732146" border="0" /></a>Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-15074902610029867362010-04-08T06:40:00.000-07:002010-04-08T06:40:00.200-07:00Corylopsis glabrescensHere's another new plant (for me): <span style="font-style: italic;">Corylopsis glabrescens</span> or fragrant winterhazel. I noticed this plant's not too far from the <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/search?q=callicarpa"><span style="font-style: italic;">Callicarpa japonica</span></a> I posted about last December. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7z8blPD2yI/AAAAAAAACM8/7ZAPLjlPgVU/s1600/080626+113.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7z8blPD2yI/AAAAAAAACM8/7ZAPLjlPgVU/s320/080626+113.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457514399248145186" border="0" /></a><br />This is the second <span style="font-style: italic;">Corylopsis </span>species I have posted on this site; last March I put some pretty sub-par photos of <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/search?q=corylopsis">Corylopsis pauciflora</a> that was growing in the East Village. Like that species, one of the characteristics of <span style="font-style: italic;">Corylopsis </span>that I like so much is the creamy whitish-green blossoms.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Corylopsis </span>is in the Witch Hazel or <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/search?q=hamamelidaceae">Hamamelidaceae</a> family, though <span style="font-style: italic;">C. glabrescens</span> is, without a doubt, the most fragrant.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7z8byoJplI/AAAAAAAACNE/AjGSVOVybCg/s1600/080626+108.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7z8byoJplI/AAAAAAAACNE/AjGSVOVybCg/s320/080626+108.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457514402843043410" border="0" /></a><br />This plant is native to Asia though has not be documented as invasive. It's quite tough and I'm very partial to the fuller flowers of this species (unlike the strappy flowers of witch hazel or the bell-shaped flowers of <span style="font-style: italic;">C. pauciflora</span>).<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7z8cmL0GiI/AAAAAAAACNM/4SINQ9MUHIU/s1600/080626+110.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7z8cmL0GiI/AAAAAAAACNM/4SINQ9MUHIU/s320/080626+110.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457514416682834466" border="0" /></a>Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-26542483047693359262010-04-07T06:39:00.000-07:002010-04-07T06:59:37.791-07:00Stachyurus praecoxI absolutely love it when you are walking around some hidden corner of a botanical garden and discover a new plant - it's like finding a twenty dollar bill in recently-unpacked summer clothes. I saw this from afar and was intrigued. The hanging racemes almost looked like little beaded curtains.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7yLzZ0A1YI/AAAAAAAACMk/0ZVkyCRA4uY/s1600/080626+107.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7yLzZ0A1YI/AAAAAAAACMk/0ZVkyCRA4uY/s320/080626+107.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457390563684832642" border="0" /></a><br />Turns out this plant is <span style="font-style: italic;">Stachyurus praecox </span>or spike-tail. It's a Japanese native with beautiful, creamy white flowers in racemes that are easily 6" long. Evidently the spring foliage is a bright chartreuse, however the fall color is unremarkable.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7yL0bbeBGI/AAAAAAAACM0/aP_gdFrQ-Yk/s1600/080626+104.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7yL0bbeBGI/AAAAAAAACM0/aP_gdFrQ-Yk/s320/080626+104.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457390581298627682" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Stachy- </span>means 'spike' and <span style="font-style: italic;">oura</span> means 'tail'. Thus the genus name and common name both refer to the flowers. <span style="font-style: italic;">Praecox</span> derives from the Latin word <span style="font-style: italic;">praecoquere</span> which means 'early,' 'preripened' or 'unseasonable.' We can even break that word down further: <span style="font-style: italic;">prae </span>means 'before' and <span style="font-style: italic;">coquere<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span> means 'to cook' or 'boil'.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7yLz0NOqsI/AAAAAAAACMs/y6aM2Wxs9X0/s1600/080626+103.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7yLz0NOqsI/AAAAAAAACMs/y6aM2Wxs9X0/s320/080626+103.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457390570769918658" border="0" /></a><br />These blossoms should last a bit longer, so if you check out the Orchid Show before it closes this Sunday, walk around to the south side of the conservatory and visit this hidden treasure.Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-2000051790227754012010-04-06T12:57:00.000-07:002010-04-06T13:03:42.712-07:00That Big Magnolia, Scaled....Sort ofAs soon as I uploaded the photos I took of yesterday's giant star magnolia, I regretted that I hadn't taken a photo of it with a person or some other way to scale it.<br /><br />Sure enough, within moments of publishing <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2010/04/biggest-star-magnolia-ive-ever-seen.html">yesterday's post</a>, I got an email asking how big it really was.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7uTGsLctmI/AAAAAAAACMc/8IevaVoPLgI/s1600/toscaleish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7uTGsLctmI/AAAAAAAACMc/8IevaVoPLgI/s320/toscaleish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457117116637165154" border="0" /></a><br /><br />With some irreverence, I've attached a picture of the tree with Shaquille O'Neal photoshopped next to it. The Shaq's about 7' 1". I think he's pasted into this photo at about the right size, making this specimen about 45-60' high. No promises on that estimate though!Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-72151442112035690742010-04-05T13:55:00.000-07:002010-04-05T14:12:21.465-07:00The Biggest Star Magnolia I've Ever SeenSo, I went to the <a href="http://nybg.org/">NYBG's Orchid Show</a> on Saturday, along with what seemed like most of the city. The conservatory was packed to the gills, but the show was lovely and one can't help but be awed by the quantity and variety of orchid species on display.<br /><br />I'll certainly be posting about those plants in the weeks to come, but this week I'll focus instead on what's happening outdoors.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7pQOyTIGlI/AAAAAAAACME/AkEhBWJfXmc/s1600/080626+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7pQOyTIGlI/AAAAAAAACME/AkEhBWJfXmc/s320/080626+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456762113463163474" border="0" /></a><br />First up, this specimen, which is undoubtedly the biggest star magnolia (<span style="font-style: italic;">Magnolia stellata) </span>I've ever laid eyes on. Amazing, isn't it? I've posted about <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2009/04/magnolia-stellata.html">Magnolia stellata</a> </span>before and have more than a few posts on the genus <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/search?q=magnolia"><span style="font-style: italic;">Magnolia </span></a>as well. I don't have much to add today, save that I saw this at the NYBG grounds on the left of the path that leads directly to the conservatory from the cafe building. I was dumbstruck by the size and a little sheepish. I must have walked past this tree dozens of times and never paid much attention to it. Only when I saw it in bloom did I register what it was and how remarkable its size is. Shame on me.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7pQPte7J_I/AAAAAAAACMU/Xb0rZLsFBS4/s1600/080626+004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7pQPte7J_I/AAAAAAAACMU/Xb0rZLsFBS4/s320/080626+004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456762129350338546" border="0" /></a><br />It also made me a liar as far as my current students are concerned. Just last week we were speculating on the lifespan of this species. I guessed that they rarely last more than fifty odd years. However, this seemed to be grouped with some trees that were listed as 75-100 years old, so I would guess this specimen could easily be a septuagenarian!<br /> <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7pQPbWVzUI/AAAAAAAACMM/QC64Xppk4YU/s1600/080626+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7pQPbWVzUI/AAAAAAAACMM/QC64Xppk4YU/s320/080626+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456762124482497858" border="0" /></a>Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858755707283753461.post-84334227848112147332010-03-30T04:30:00.000-07:002010-03-30T06:47:58.810-07:00Daffodil SeasonIt seems downright insane that I have yet to blog about daffodils - at least not in any substantial manner. I mean, I'd say pretty much anyone with the most remedial plant knowledge would know a daffodil -- and most of those people would probably say they liked them, too, right? I mean, who doesn't like a daffodil?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7HirbuzrCI/AAAAAAAACLg/B-oMck9N8Fk/s1600/IMG_0733.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7HirbuzrCI/AAAAAAAACLg/B-oMck9N8Fk/s320/IMG_0733.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454389859528715298" border="0" /></a><br />The above is outside of Lewisohn Hall - the building that houses my department at Columbia. I have begun many first-day-of-class introductions outside that doorway and the red oak (<span style="font-style: italic;">Quercus rubra) </span>you see in the courtyard is always featured as one of the first trees students will learn. The planting area looks pretty nifty right now, with hundreds of cyclamineus-type daffodils in bloom.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7HiqwOMw8I/AAAAAAAACLY/TEcI449EPx0/s1600/IMG_0735.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7HiqwOMw8I/AAAAAAAACLY/TEcI449EPx0/s320/IMG_0735.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454389847849223106" border="0" /></a><br />So. "Cyclamineus-type" daffodils -- what's that? Daffodils (or <span style="font-style: italic;">Narcissus) </span>are classified into twelve (actually now, according to the <a href="http://daffodilusa.org/daffodils/div.html">American Daffodil Society</a>, there are thirteen) divisions. Cycalmineus is one of the divisions and refers to the windswept or <a href="http://newyorkplantsandotherstuff.blogspot.com/2008/10/hardy-cyclamen.html">Cyclamen</a>-like flowers.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7H7DFE7HgI/AAAAAAAACL4/FMlGugIpiLM/s1600/largecup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7H7DFE7HgI/AAAAAAAACL4/FMlGugIpiLM/s320/largecup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454416654043389442" border="0" /></a><br />Other divisions are named for the size of the flower's cup (the tubular part of the flower, technically called a corona) relative to the size of the floral leaves (or perianth). Both the flowers above and below have cups that are more than 1/3 the lengh of a petal, but don't exceed the petal's length, which means they are large cup division daffodils. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7HisVwy0zI/AAAAAAAACLw/5Xg3jI3g_XY/s1600/IMG_5692.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7HisVwy0zI/AAAAAAAACLw/5Xg3jI3g_XY/s320/IMG_5692.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454389875106304818" border="0" /></a><br />(By the way, even people who don't like bright yellow in the garden, can still have daffodils like the one above.)<br /><br />If the cup was larger than the floral leaves (or if we want to be non-technical, the petals) they would be trumpet-type daffodils.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7HirmnZ0PI/AAAAAAAACLo/2Z_abBdbANQ/s1600/IMG_5681.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7HirmnZ0PI/AAAAAAAACLo/2Z_abBdbANQ/s320/IMG_5681.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454389862450450674" border="0" /></a><br />Other divisions include small cup, double-flowering, triandrus (or 'weeping'), jonquilas - which are small, fragrant and have one to three flowers per stem, tazettas (paperwhites), bulbocodiums - which have a very, very large cup and insignificant perianth, split-cupped (where as the name suggests, the corona is split into a 'second row' of petals), and division 12, which is a catch-all for types that don't fit in other categories. The ADS added the 13th division for wild, unhybridized types.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7HiqVNSv6I/AAAAAAAACLQ/YMmonhUza-o/s1600/IMG_0742.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_v88-bCtro_c/S7HiqVNSv6I/AAAAAAAACLQ/YMmonhUza-o/s320/IMG_0742.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454389840597663650" border="0" /></a><br />Lastly, I saved division 9 for last, since it's a favorite. They are the poeticus type daffodils, characterized by the extremely white perianth and small crinkled orange cup. Usually the cup is yellow with red trim. (I'll admit, this cup looks big for a poeticus and it could be a small cup type, but you get the idea. The true poeticus types are dashing.)<br /><br />PS: I think we all know the story of Narcissus and his, well, narcissism. What I don't know is the story behind the common name daffodil - where that word came from. If anyone knows, please comment!Jennifer G. Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17892033149232699240noreply@blogger.com8